Colorado asks: To bowl or not to bowl?

University of Colorado Regent Tom Lucero, R-Johnstown, plans to introduce a resolution that would encourage the National Collegiate Athlete Association to adopt a playoff championship tournament for universities and colleges currently participating in the Division I Football Bowl Championship Series.

Bowl eligible?Univ. of Colorado

"It's simple: the overwhelming majority of Americans want a true national championship football playoff," said Lucero, who is an avid CU football fan. "Leaders around the country, including the President-elect, are calling for this."

The debate over switching from a bowl series to a playoff tournament has been hotly debated since 1998, when the football Bowl Championship Series was established. The idea grew legs this year, however, when Obama called for NCAA football playoffs, and commentators joined the rally cry for a playoff system.

Colorado lawmakers considered the issue during the 2008 legislative session. State Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, drafted a resolution urging Colorado's universities to push for playoffs, not bowl games, in college football.

To the best of Lucero's knowledge, CU would be the first governing board to come out in support of the change. "If enough governing boards express interest in this issue it might just create enough momentum to change the system," he added.

Under the current BCS system, the two teams selected to play in the national championship get there by coming out on top in a complicated mathematical computer selection method, with no head-to-head competition to earn the right to play for top honors. Supporters for the playoff system maintain it is fairer than the BCS while opponents worry the extended season would make it hard for the athletes to keep up academically. They also question the potential risk of losing or alienating sponsors if the current structure is changed.